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Georgia: the Russian threat still weighs
Georgia: the Russian threat still weighs
(Franceinfo)
As Russia invaded the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008, Georgians fear their country will be next on the Kremlin’s list. They hope to quickly join the European Union for greater peace of mind.
A bucolic garden that Lia has a hard time enjoying because it borders Russian territory. His village is located on the demarcation line with South Ossetia. On the other side of the fences, Moscow has deployed its army. A threat to these Georgians who have lived here for generations. “Danger awaits us at every moment, safety is the main challenge for us”, explains Lia Tchlatchidze. Georgia shares a border with Russia. Since the end of the Soviet Union, Moscow has controlled Abkhazia and especially South Ossetia. Two regions attacked and then invaded, it was in 2008.
Since then, many Georgians have left to live elsewhere, but not these farmers. However, the Russian threat has never disappeared. After Ukraine, residents fear that their region will be Vladimir Putin’s next target. The Russians are an enemy hated and feared by the Georgians. In other border villages, we want to be optimistic. The inhabitants are betting on their country’s rapid accession to the European Union, the only way to calm the appetite of the Russian ogre. Five months ago, Georgia was granted the status of candidate country for membership in the European Union. The start of a long political process.
